Method for producing manganese or alloys of manganese



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B0 MICHAEL S'IURE KALLING- AND QVEN DAGOBERT DANIELI, OF TROLLHETTAN} SWEDEN, ASSIGNOBS T0 AKTIEBOLAGET FERROLEGERINGAR, "0F STOCKHOLM,

SWEDEN, A LIMITED flOMPANY.

METHOD FOR PRODUCING MANGANESE 0R ALLOYS QF MANGANESE.

incense.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that we, Bo MICHAEL Srunn KALLING and Sven DAGOBERT Demnnr, subjects of the King of Sweden, and residents of Trollhattan, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Methods for Producing Manganese or Alloys of Manganesa ot which the lfollowing is a specification.

'l he present invention has for its object a process for manufacturing manganese or manganese-alloys with low content of carbon. and silicon. I

in accordance with the present invention, said products are obtained by subjecting a manganese alloy which is richer in silicon preterably one which contains more than manganese and more than 10% silicon-at a temperature higher than 100 (3., to the action of substances which, under certain conditions, will oxidize the silicon. As an OXlCllZlIlg medium, tree oxygen (air) is employed and, it necessary, substances which contain oxy en compound of manganese. As silicate-torming ingredients, it is practicable to use such substances as contain manganese.

The following example will serve to make plain the invention.

As is known, in the manufacture of manganese and manganese alloys, with carbon as a reducing medium, the product actually obtained is a manganese carbld, or manganese carbid alloy, with a content of carbon which,

as a general rule, is not less than the equivalent ot Mn C. Experiments have been made with a view of appreciably reducing the carbon content of the alloy in question, for ex.-

ample by treatment w1th manganese oxide, but such experiments have not yielded the desired results.

it is also known that, if in the production ofmanganese and itsalloys with carbon as a reducing medium, the process employed is such that the silicon is reduced out together with the manganese, in the silico-manganese alloy obtained a larger or smallerpart of the carbon will have been replaced by silicon.

A somewhat similar result is obtained it Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Dec. as. ilgfih.

Application filed November 4:, 1919. Serial No; 335,669.

the manganese alloy with a. high content of carbon is alloyed, with a silicon alloy comparatlyely rich in silicon and consequently poor in carbon. In accordance with the present 1nvent1on, such a silico-manganese tain, strictly speaking, more carbon, at most,

than the quantity contained in the silicomanganese used in the charge. T he oxidizing process is conveniently performed in an electric furnace of such construction that the electrodes are not in direct contact withthe reacting substances, for example an electric tree burning arc-furnace.

The slag obtained in the oxidation of the silicon contains as a general rule, an appreciable content otmanganese oxids, and may be suitably used as a raw material for the manufacture oi silico-manganese.

There is no objection to the manufacture of silico-manganese and the oxidation of its silicon taking place in the same furnace. In

this case, the silico-manganese alloy is first produced 111 the ordinary manner, whereupon any slag formed in the process is tapped off, and finally suitable oxidizing mediums are added, whereby the silicon is oxidized.

The manufacture of the manganese alloy with low content of carbon can also be pertreatment to such a temperature that a reaction immediately sets in.

The oxidation of the silicon can also be carried out by thoroughly mixing an ordinary silico-manganese alloy in a'solid state with the silicon-oxidizing and silicon-oxid forming substances, the mixture being afterward heated to a suitable temperature.

One manner of carrying out the improved process is to blow free oxygen, for example in the form of air, through a molten bath of silico-manganese in a Bessemerconverter, ofsu1tableconstruct1on, with basic, neutral or acid lining, with the addition, 1f necessary, of substances containing quick lime.

In order to prevent an unnecessary increase of temperature, suitable quantities of substances containing oxids of manganese may eventually be added together with the limecontaining substance, and if a suflicient quantity of such substances is added to.

bring the manganese content of the; slag to an adequate height, the oxidation of the manganese content of the 'silico-manganese will be prevented.

The manganese alloy with low content of silicon and carbon,.manufactured in accordance with the present invention, as compared, for example with the ordinary ferromanganese of commerce, is of greatest im-' portance in the iron trade. the advantage that by the use of suchjan alloy, the necessity of appreciably increasing air blebs. The alloy in question is also extremely well suited vfor the production of steel with a high content of manganese and a relatively low content of carbon.

It will be obvious that if the oxidation of "silicon in the manner above indicated is carried far enough, it will be possible to obtain,

instead of a-manganese alloy poor in carbon and silicon, a manganese which is practically free from silicon, so that the process can be adapted for the manufacture of manganese, just as well' as for the manufacture of manganese alloys.

The process may also be performed in the following manner: As a basic material is used manganese oxid, which is reduced with carbon, at temperatures, and under charging conditions, suitable for the purpose, in such a way that the manganese silicid, z. e., a silico-manganese alloyl poor in carbon, isobtained, whereupon t e latter intermediate product, in the manner above stated, viz., without the material bein allowed to-come into contact with carbon, 1s oxidized in such In addition to a way that a manganese alloy poor carbon and 81116011, or else manganese, is ob- A tained.

The term manganese alloy in this description, and in the claims, is to be understood to mean not merely an alloy of manganese with heavy metals, but also as converging compounds ofsolutions of manganese with carbon, silicon, or similar substances, such as manganese carbid, manga nese silicid, etc., as well as a solution of the said compounds in manganese or .other metal.

Having thus described our invention, we-

declare, that what we claim is 1. The process of manufacturing manga nese alloys with low content of carbon and I SlllCOIl, whlch conslsts n exposing a manganese alloy comparatively rich in silicon, at a temperature above the melting oint of the alloy, tothe oxidizing action of ree oxygen.

2. The process of manufacturing manganese alloys with low content of carbon and silicon, which consists in exposing a manganese alloy containing more than 10 per cent of silicon,at a temperature above the melting point of the alloy, to the oxidizing action of free oxygen.

nese alloys with low content of carbon and silicon, which consists in exposing a manganese alloy containing more than 10 per cent of silicon, at a temperature above the melting oint of the alloy, to the oxidizing action of ree oxygen simultaneously with substances containing oxygen compounds of manganese. I

4. The process of manufacturing manga- 3. The process of manufacturing manganese alloys with low content of carbon and silicon, which consists in exposing a manganese alloy, comparatively rich in sili on, at a temperature above the melting point of the alloy, to the oxidizing action of free oxygen simultaneously with substances, containing. oxygen compounds of manganese together with other substances which are capable of dissolving silica or to form silicates therewith.

5. The process of-manufacturingmanganese alloys with low content of carbon and silicon, which consists in exposing a manganese alloy comparatively rich in silicon, at a' temperature above the melting point of the alloy, to the oxidizing action'of free oxygen simultaneously with substances containing oxygen compounds of manganese, and add- "ing other substances capable of dissolving silica, no outer heat being supplied during the process.

- 6. The process of manufacturing manganese alloys with low content of carbon and silicon, which consists in exposing a manganese alloy containing more than 10 per cent. of silicon at a temperature above the melting point of the alloy, to the oxidizing'aceases? tion of free oxygen simultaneously with In witness whereof we have hereunto set substances containlng oxygen compounds of our hands in presence of two witnesses.

manganese, and addin other substances capable of dissolving s1 ica no outer heat, being supplied during the in'ocess and the SVEN DAGOBERT D free oxygen, which is used as the silicon- Witnesses: oxidizing substance, being blown through OSCAR SKARBERG, the fluid silico-manganese al1oy.- Josnn JOHANSSON. 

